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Parents who say they don't want anything are the hardest ones to shop for. A night at a rainforest lodge outside Auckland or a scenic flight over Cook Strait solves that: it's a gift they'll likely use before February, not something that ends up back in the cupboard by Boxing Day.
Parents don't need another candle under the tree. A night at a rainforest lodge outside Auckland or a scenic flight over Cook Strait gives them a reason to get out of the house together, and something to actually use before February instead of stacking it in a cupboard. It also settles the sizing and colour guesswork that comes with buying parents' clothes or homewares; a day out fits regardless of what's already in their wardrobe. Gift a story you can't wait to hear.
A rainforest retreat with massage for two in the Waitakere Ranges gives Auckland-based parents a reason to switch their phones off for a night. Further south, an overnight cruise into Milford Sound or a night aboard the Mariner in Doubtful Sound trades the tree view for fiords and stargazing on deck. Parents who'd rather stay closer to home can turn lunch into the whole event with a Wellington scenic flight ending at Wharekauhau Lodge or a private helicopter flight to a Queenstown alpine picnic spot.
On Waiheke Island, a winery tour with a family-style lunch covers two vineyards, an olive grove and a distillery in one day. In Hawke's Bay, a half-day private food and wine tour swaps the group bus for a chauffeured drive between the region's oldest vineyards. Christchurch parents can skip the wine altogether for something slower: a private punt along the Avon River, guided by someone in full Edwardian dress, past the Botanic Gardens.
For parents who'd rather be doing something than watching from a boat, a half-day fly fishing trip on Lake Taupo comes with waders, tackle and a guide who knows where the trout are holding. A private heli-fishing trip into Queenstown's backcountry rivers goes further again, landing somewhere the roads don't reach. Closer to Auckland, the Waitomo Glowworm Cave boat tour suits parents who'd rather look up than climb, and a half-day photography tour around Queenstown gives a camera-owning parent their own excuse to get out.
Picking one experience for parents who've spent thirty years buying you exactly the right thing back is pressure. A rainforest lodge stay suits one set of parents, a heli-fishing trip suits another, and there's no reliable way to know which side of that line yours will land on.
A RedBalloon gift voucher sidesteps the guesswork. Wrap it for under the tree, then let your parents choose their own day out once Christmas is over and they've had a proper look through the range themselves.
An experience gift solves it: something like an overnight cruise into Milford Sound or a rainforest retreat with a massage for two gives them a day out instead of one more object to find a shelf for. It also gets around the problem of buying for a couple whose tastes have drifted in different directions over the years, since most of these are built for two people to enjoy together.
Yes, it works well when you're not sure which experience they'd pick for themselves; a voucher lets them browse the range and choose their own date rather than you guessing. It's also a practical option for parents who live somewhere unpredictable, weather-wise, since they can pick a date once they've checked the forecast instead of being locked into one you chose for them.
Both work. A shared cruise or winery tour suits parents who like doing things together, while a solo pick, like the photography tour or the fly fishing trip, suits a parent with their own interest to indulge.
The Milford Mariner cruise includes a night in a double ensuite cabin, a three-course buffet dinner, cooked and continental breakfast, and kayaking or tender boat trips out on the water, weather permitting.
If your parents already know their own taste, luxury escapes cover longer stays, helicopter flights suit the ones who'd rather see the country from above, and spa packages work for parents who just want to lie down somewhere quiet. Food and wine experiences cover everyone in between.